[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 69 (Tuesday, April 29, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2824-H2825]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1073) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that public servants should be commended for their 
dedication and continued service to the Nation during Public Service 
Recognition Week, May 5 through 11, 2008.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1073

       Whereas Public Service Recognition Week provides an 
     opportunity to recognize and promote the important 
     contributions of public servants and honor the diverse men 
     and women who meet the needs of the Nation through work at 
     all levels of government;
       Whereas millions of individuals work in government service 
     in every city, county, and State across America and in 
     hundreds of cities abroad;
       Whereas public service is a noble calling involving a 
     variety of challenging and rewarding professions;
       Whereas Federal, State, and local governments are 
     responsive, innovative, and effective because of the 
     outstanding work of public servants;
       Whereas the United States of America is a great and 
     prosperous Nation, and public service employees contribute 
     significantly to that greatness and prosperity;
       Whereas the Nation benefits daily from the knowledge and 
     skills of these highly trained individuals;
       Whereas public servants--
       (1) defend our freedom and advance United States interests 
     around the world;
       (2) provide vital strategic support functions to our 
     military and serve in the National Guard and Reserves;
       (3) fight crime and fires;
       (4) ensure equal access to secure, efficient, and 
     affordable mail service;
       (5) deliver Social Security and Medicare benefits;
       (6) fight disease and promote better health;
       (7) protect the environment and the Nation's parks;
       (8) enforce laws guaranteeing equal employment opportunity 
     and healthy working conditions;
       (9) defend and secure critical infrastructure;
       (10) help the Nation recover from natural disasters and 
     terrorist attacks;
       (11) teach and work in our schools and libraries;
       (12) develop new technologies and explore the earth, moon, 
     and space to help improve our understanding of how our world 
     changes;
       (13) improve and secure our transportation systems;
       (14) promote economic growth; and
       (15) assist active duty service members and veterans;
       Whereas members of the uniformed services and civilian 
     employees at all levels of government make significant 
     contributions to the general welfare of the United States, 
     and are on the front lines in the fight against terrorism and 
     in maintaining homeland security;
       Whereas public servants work in a professional manner to 
     build relationships with other countries and cultures in 
     order to better represent America's interests and promote 
     American ideals;
       Whereas public servants alert Congress and the public to 
     government waste, fraud, abuse, and dangers to public health;
       Whereas the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of 
     the United States, as well as those skilled trade and craft 
     Federal employees who provide support to their efforts, are 
     committed to doing their jobs regardless of the 
     circumstances, and contribute greatly to the security of the 
     Nation and the world;
       Whereas public servants have bravely fought in armed 
     conflict in defense of this Nation and its ideals and deserve 
     the care and benefits they have earned through their 
     honorable service;
       Whereas government workers have much to offer, as 
     demonstrated by their expertise and innovative ideas, and 
     serve as examples by passing on institutional knowledge to 
     train the next generation of public servants;
       Whereas May 5 through 11, 2008, has been designated Public 
     Service Recognition Week to honor America's Federal, State, 
     and local government employees; and
       Whereas Public Service Recognition Week is celebrating its 
     24th anniversary through job fairs, student activities, and 
     agency exhibits: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) commends public servants for their outstanding 
     contributions to this great Nation during Public Service 
     Recognition Week and throughout the year;
       (2) salutes government employees for their unyielding 
     dedication and spirit for public service;
       (3) honors those government employees who have given their 
     lives in service to their country;
       (4) calls upon a new generation to consider a career in 
     public service as an honorable profession; and
       (5) encourages efforts to promote public service careers at 
     all levels of government.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) and the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio.

                              {time}  1600

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, all those of us who chose to be in elected 
office realize that we can't do our jobs unless there is a vast array 
of people who are in every category of employment, doing their jobs. 
And those workers in many cases, are people who are public employees.
  Public employees may be people who are working in the streets. They 
may be people who pick up the garbage; they may be people who are 
working desk jobs. There are people who perform so many different 
functions.
  At a Federal level, public employees are involved in providing direct 
service to people, whether it's making sure that people get their 
Social Security checks, their Medicare benefits, making sure that 
people have the opportunity to be able to have access to important 
government services.
  Public service is a worthy profession. It's one that we ought to be 
encouraging young people to be involved in. It's one that needs to 
achieve more appreciation, not less. In this era where people try to 
attack government, they're actually attacking the people who do the 
work of government. We need to lift up the position of government 
workers. This resolution of Public Service Recognition Week is 
certainly one way to do it. And it allows us to demonstrate the 
involvement of public employees in the daily life surrounding our 
communities and, in turn, we're reminded that we live in the United 
States of America, relying on each other to ensure the stability and 
greatness of our country.
  This is an important moment when we can recognize, through this 
resolution, everyone who serves. Each person who serves is worthy of 
respect. There is no level of service which is not worthy of respect. 
Dr. King pointed that out in some of his speeches when he talked about 
the street sweeper, how that street sweeper should sweep streets in a 
way that would reflect a great virtuoso performance.
  We need to have that kind of awareness that those who perform the 
daily work of government, at a local, county, State and Federal level, 
and also at regional levels, are people who love their country, love 
their community and ought to be honored.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I'm pleased to rise today in support of H. Res. 1073, 
honoring the millions of dedicated public employees who serve our 
Nation. Our country would have a difficult time functioning without its 
innovative, professional, highly trained public service employees. At 
all levels of government, you will find hardworking

[[Page H2825]]

staff implementing policies that make our country prosper and thrive 
through their contributions.
  The expertise and work ethic offered by these individuals sets an 
honorable example for future generations of public employees, as well 
as those in the private sector.
  From emergency responders to librarians and educators, public 
servants span the spectrum of jobs. They keep our country efficient and 
safe. Beyond the tremendous work of civilian employees, uniformed 
service personnel and the members of our Armed Forces are those on the 
front lines in the fight to maintain national security. They provide 
vital strategic support for our Nation's military, both at home and 
abroad. Additionally, their tremendous accomplishments in providing 
support to our 50 States, as well as countries overseas with natural 
disaster relief, is to be commended.
  Once again, I congratulate these employees who help make up the 
fabric of our country and government for performing the challenging and 
oftentimes thankless jobs with honor and dedication. I appreciate them 
for moving our country forward, as well as maintaining our safety and 
security.
  For these reasons, I express my support of Public Service Recognition 
Week.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KUCINICH. I would like to take this opportunity, before we close 
the debate, to thank those who are involved in public service in my own 
community, in Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
  Having served in municipal government for many years, I understand 
how important the daily work of a city is. And I know that its people 
who repair the streets, who pick up the garbage, who make sure that the 
lights are repaired, who make sure the traffic signals work, who answer 
calls for fire or police protection, I know that all of those 
individuals love their community and they deserve to be appreciated.
  Also, on a county level, in Cuyahoga County, you have many workers 
who are unsung for their service as clerks, people who work in 
recording deeds, people who work in collecting taxes, people who work 
in seeing that welfare services are given, case workers and others, 
they're all public servants and all public employees. This resolution 
is a fitting way to honor those individuals.
  And I just wanted to cite specifically Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, 
because, having been involved with that constituency for so long, I 
understand the workers who make possible the work of those various 
governmental jurisdictions.
  At this time I would reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1073 
and the hard-working public servants it so deservedly recognizes today.
  As the son of a career foreign service officer and a State Department 
analyst, public service--in all its forms--has always been a value in 
my family. Whether you're talking about soldiers putting themselves on 
the line for our nation, police and firefighters protecting our 
communities, scientists and researchers developing breakthrough 
medicines, or teachers and librarians educating our children, it should 
be clear to all who stop and think about it that America simply could 
not be its best without the ongoing courage, intelligence and efforts 
of its public servants.
  That is why I believe so strongly in the enduring value of a robust, 
highly trained and dynamic civil service--and in pursuing public 
policies that can recruit and retain that kind of workforce. For me, 
that means pay parity for civil servants, a decent and dignified 
workplace across the government, genuinely fair rules for outsourcing 
competitions and benefit packages that will enable more of our best and 
brightest to pursue careers in public service over otherwise 
potentially more lucrative opportunities in the private sector. It also 
means generating a renewed sense of excitement and respect for public 
service careers in the culture.
  Mr. Speaker, towards that end, I believe this resolution is well-
deserved and a terrific place to start. I look forward to working more 
closely with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to put the spirit 
of today's resolution into action as we deliberate policy affecting our 
public servants throughout the rest of the year.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of H. Res. 1073, ``Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives 
that public servants should be commended for their dedication and 
continued service to the Nation during Public Service Recognition Week, 
May 5 through 11, 2008,'' introduced by my distinguished colleague from 
Illinois, Representative Danny K. Davis. This important legislation 
illustrates a nation's commitment to recognize the work and fortitude 
of public service and the numerous citizens who are employed in that 
division.
  Government workers have much to offer, as demonstrated by their 
expertise and innovative ideas, and serve as examples by passing on 
institutional knowledge to train the next generation of public 
servants. The Public Service Recognition Week encourages a new 
generation to consider a career in public service as an admirable 
profession. The week also serves to promote the significant 
contributions of public servants and to honor men and women at all 
levels of government.
  During Public Service Recognition Week, Federal, State, county and 
local public employees take part in events such as job fairs, student 
activities, and agency exhibits that celebrate the broad variety of 
services performed by employees at all levels of government. Public 
Service Recognition Week, celebrated the first Monday through Sunday in 
May since 1985, is a time set aside each year to honor the diverse men 
and women who meet the needs of the Nation through work at the Federal, 
State and local government levels.
  Throughout the Nation, public employees use Public Service 
Recognition Week to educate citizens about the many ways in which the 
Federal government serves the people and how Federal government 
services make life better for all of us. Public service employees are 
the educators who instruct us in complex academia, the policemen and 
firemen who fight crime and fires, the physicians who fight disease and 
promote better health, and the military who consistently defend our 
freedom and advance United States interests around the world. Public 
service employees encompass the fields of public transportation, waste 
management, social services, housing, electricity and more. These hard 
workers deserve the care and benefits they have earned through their 
honorable service.
  The Nation benefits daily from the knowledge and skills of these 
highly trained individuals. The services that these workers provide are 
a necessity to modem life and is understood that its universal 
provision should be guaranteed. It is imperative that Congress 
recognizes the magnitude of the worker's job and its subsequent effects 
on environmental integrity, human health and overall quality of life in 
the United States.
  Mr. Speaker, we should continuously honor our government employees 
who have given their lives in service to this country. The most 
important reason for Public Service Recognition Week is the need to 
celebrate and recognize the valuable services that millions of public 
servants provide to the Nation. All too often, the contributions made 
by America's public employees to our democracy are forgotten--not only 
by our fellow citizens but even by those of us who serve. Public 
servants alert Congress and the public to government waste, fraud, 
abuse, and dangers to public health. The Federal, State, and local 
governments are responsive, innovative, and effective because of the 
exceptional work of public servants, and this involvement should not be 
disregarded.
  Public service employees playa significant role in the greatness and 
affluence of the United States. I humbly commend public servants for 
their outstanding contributions to this great Nation during Public 
Service Recognition Week and throughout the year for their unyielding 
dedication and spirit for public service. I strongly urge my colleagues 
to join me in supporting this important legislation, and, in-so-doing, 
giving our public service personnel the respect and recognition they 
deserve.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the passage of 
H. Res. 1073, and yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KUCINICH. I yield back.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Kucinich) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1073.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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